MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Life University volleyball (1-1) pulled out a victory in a five-set thriller (25-18, 11-25, 23-25, 25-20, 15-12) against Southeastern University (1-1) in the Faulkner Invitational on Friday.
 
Sophomore Deandra King led the squad with 16 kills and a .263 attacking percentage. Junior Liz Mann contributed nine kills, 14 digs, a block and a service ace. Junior Gaby Ferran led the squad with 26 digs. Sophomore Jamese Scott added six kills and five blocks.
 
The Running Eagles came out the gates on fire as they opened on a 9-4 run. The Fire would cut the lead to 11-7, but Life U pushed the lead back out to 20-13. SU battled back and trimmed the lead to 22-18. However, the Running Eagles captured the set 25-18.
 
Southeastern came back with a vengeance in the second set as they opened on a 19-6 lead. They never relinquished that lead and took the set 25-11.
 
Coming out of the break, both teams came out on even footing with the third set being to most tightly contested game of match. The two squads traded points for most of the set with neither team gaining more than a three-point lead early. SU began to pull away with a 19-16. The Running Eagles battle back to pull within one point at 24-23, but the Fire claimed the set 25-23.
 
The fourth set began much like the previous one, with neither squad giving an inch and matching each other point for point. Life U finally put some daylight between themselves and SU thanks to a 5-0 run, giving them a 18-12 lead. The Fire would not go away, however, as they pulled the lead to 24-20, but the Running Eagles were able to force a deciding fifth set with a 25-20 decision.
 
Looking to steal a win, Life U stumbled to start the final set as they fell behind 4-1 early. They chipped away and managed to tie it at 10-10. From there, it was all Life U as they went on a 5-2 run to seal a 3-2 victory with a 15-12 decision.
 
The Running Eagles are back in action tomorrow as they face off against Tennessee Wesleyan and Freed-Hardeman on the second day of the Faulkner Invitational.